Loss of human renal function, for example due to kidney disease, affects hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. In the past, chronic renal failure has meant almost certain death. More recently, renal failure is treatable by kidney transplant and/or less-physiologically traumatic procedures such as hemodialysis or hemofiltration. Existing hemodialysis and hemofiltration systems operate by continuously withdrawing blood from a patient, treating the blood to remove waste, and continuously re-introducing treated blood into the patient. Hemodialysis operates by bringing blood into contact with one side of a semi-permeable membrane while a dialysis solution (dialysate) is brought into contact with the other side of the membrane. Uremic toxins diffuse out of the blood, through the semi-permeable membrane due to the concentration gradient across the membrane, and into the dialysate. Hemofiltration operates by passing the blood through a filter to remove waste.
Most man-made renal function systems are not designed for convenient home use. In general, artificial renal treatment is given in a clinical outpatient setting for reasons of safety, since factors such as balance in withdrawn blood and re-introduced replacement fluids are critical. Of course, loss of a threshold amount of blood results in death. However, since victims of renal failure treated by man-made renal function systems must spend a significant amount of time undergoing hemofiltration or hemodialysis, these patients must spend a significant amount of time out of their homes if treated in a clinical setting.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for high-volume, convenient, and accurate hemofiltration systems that allow for safe and easy home use.